Keeping a Lid on It
by LadyDi
Summary: When his name was mentioned, Natsu kneeled before her, still looking at her in silence. He took in the dripping face, the goosebumps on her arms, the hunched shoulders, the wet clothes, and the red eyes. Nothing escaped him except for the answer as to why she was crying alone like this right now.
1. Chapter 1

The seven year gap after Tenroujima hit everyone hard. It was difficult for the sleepers trapped in Mavis's magic and for those who were left behind to uphold the guild by keeping it from ruin. The world Lucy and her fellow sleepers had missed was suddenly thrust upon them after they were awakened. Although seven was a small number when one looked at it, when you counted the days, seven years was a long time. Considering that she was only seventeen when she met Natsu, seven years (at that point) was almost half her life span.

Had she not been put to sleep, she would be in her mid-twenties right now. Odds are she would be married, maybe with kids. She would be a much more powerful mage, hopefully with a few more keys to her already full keyring. Perhaps her relationship with her father might have gotten better before he died as opposed to after his death.

So many of these what-ifs and more went through her head whenever Lucy went shopping or went on a mission or hung out at the relocated guild and these big changes glared at her. When she looked at the members who had grown up or aged further, it often saddened her that she had missed out on the lives of those people that she cared so much for. She would never get that time back. She would never be the proper age she should be had fate never dealt her this hand.

She also thought about what would have happened had Kana not entered her bathroom that fateful day and told her about Guildarts. Had she not gone, she would have tearfully waited and worried and lived while her friends were stuck on Tenroujima. She would have lost her mission partner and would have had to either enter into a new group (which would have been wrong in her heart since Natsu brought her to Fairy Tail and asked to be her partner) or braved it alone and waited. She would never have left the guild like others had done; Fairy Tail was her only home now. But she would have dated and maybe found love. She would have trained over time and become powerful in her own way. So many things that would never happen or still not happen for a long time.

Lucy usually tried to turn all those depressing thoughts into positive daydreams. She tried to imagine interesting or fun scenarios in her head to bring her mood up. After all, there was nothing to be done but accept what had happened to them. She told herself so many times that nothing was going to change this. However, many visions of Mr. Right didn't help because when she thought that she may have met him by now, it blew up all her good intentions. She would then resolve to stop thinking about it and would do something else to take her mind off things. Putting the topic out of her mind only shoved things away instead of dealing with them. It was merely a band-aid over a visible wound that wouldn't heal.

She contemplated many nights if she would rather be a part of the Tenroujima group and be younger, yet less experienced, or with the rest of the guild and have all the knowledge of those years, yet worry the entire time about her friends. There was no good answer; there wasn't even a "lesser of two evils". Both were undoubtedly sad circumstances and picking one was just as bad as picking the other. Yet Lucy was lost in these thoughts that plagued her and a lot of times would lose sleep because of it.

The announcement of the Grand Magic Games and her role in it was a big help to keep her mind busy...for the most part. The three month training brought her hypothetical thoughts back because of why they were at that beach. They were there because they needed to get their power up after the time of not having used it for so many years. Her friends were also a big help to keep motivating her into wanting to train hard. Even if they never did get the time they needed due to that party in the Celestial World... Thankfully, Ultear's group found them and gave them that chance to still become more powerful so that they could even compete in the Grand Magic Games without getting utterly trampled.

Another huge help was her partner. She just couldn't stay sad when she was with Natsu. He took any situation and looked at the positive in it. He had never worried about himself; he worried about the guild members that were within the flow of time. This was most evident during his unfortunate round of the Games which pitted him against transportation in the Chariot race. He struggled through his biggest vice and still managed to get them points. Even in that lowest moment, he was worrying about others. He really was amazing. His words were a big inspiration to them all...even to the crowd. Natsu changed the opinion of that huge throng with mere words and after that one competition, people started cheering on Fairy Tail more and more.

If anyone asked, Lucy would fully admit that she heavily relied on Natsu in so many ways. She often used his presence or such inspiring words to get her past a depressing situation. She didn't have enough fingers and toes to count them all on! His latest words after the unfair match that she should have rightfully won had stopped her tears, but her frustration didn't dissipate so easily. Her emotions were only stowed away during her shower, but they flared up whenever Raven Tail was battling. She had been ready to fight fair and square and was so sure she had the battle to her favor until the dark guild resorted to petty tricks and ensnaring her guild.

After she found out that she was being targeted and her friends had been kidnapped instead of her, Lucy's anger and confusion only increased. People could have gotten hurt because they had got the wrong one! But openly being angry wouldn't help everyone and it wasn't going to bring answers in the middle of the Grand Magic Games, so Lucy again was forced to bypass her emotions for what was going on. She had to tell herself to trust in the capable hands of Makarov and those that had come to cheer them on so that such a stunt wouldn't happen again.

Thankfully the Games didn't go on for hours and hours every day. It was only a handful of rounds and then everyone was given the rest of the day off to recuperate or do whatever they wanted. That was really nice because the tournaments were mentally taxing as is let alone the new developments that had sprung up.

As sad as it was to think such a thought, it was kind of nice that Gray also experienced a loss because there was someone else who knew how she felt. It helped her get over herself enough to head to the Bar Sun they had frequented since they got to Crocus. Master's words that evening helped to inspire her as well. Things had pretty much returned to normal as if they were back at Fairy Tail again. Being near her friends had really managed to cheer her up from the day.

Lucy had taken a seat away from all the usual brawls and loudness. It was better, and more entertaining, to watch from a safe distance because she never knew when someone would suddenly come crashing in her direction. With the challenges that Natsu was throwing out and all of the guild members he was beating up, the farther the better.

"Sure is loud in here for a bunch of kids..."

Lucy turned at the voice next to her bar seat and tried not to cringe at the smell of alcohol that wafted her way. Despite being in a pub, this man seemed to be distilling it from his pores. She didn't know what to say to explain, or apologize for, Natsu and his behavior, but it didn't matter. She locked eyes with the red-faced man and he leered at her a little, effectively killing her thought trail.

"Hey there babe. I see you're in Fairy Tail's guild too huh?" He leaned in. "You sure don't seem to have the same sense of adventure that the others do. Sitting here all by yourself..." He held up a glass. "Care for a drink with me?"

The uncomfortable smile twitched a little. "Eh heh heh. Sorry, but I don't really drink...it's not my thing."

The drunkard pulled away with a perturbed look. "Hah? Just have one drink with me doll. Here, you can have my glass."

She almost fell off the chair in her effort to back away from the glass trying to slosh its way in her mouth. "N – no thank you! I can get my own!" In order to get him to get away from her, and knowing that one glass wouldn't be the end of the world, Lucy ordered the weakest alcoholic drink possible. She tried to finish it quicker than normal to get him away from her since there weren't many empty chairs in the room which she could take refuge on as she was trying to do now.

"That's the spirit! Let's have another." The man ordered another one for himself and her as well before she could say anything. "It's my treat."

"Um...one is pretty much my limit... I think I'm good..." It wasn't the whole truth, but it seemed to be the right answer to get the drunk away from her. She didn't really lie; that one drink with her lack of expertise was starting to affect her.

The man chugged the glass and grabbed the one she refused to touch. "You're no fun...guess I'll have to drink with that one over there...she looks like she'd have a few with me..."

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief as she watched him saunter over to Kana's table. She watched him enter into a match with her friend and sat there in amaze. This was going to be good. "Can I have another of what I had prior please?" She requested to the bartender before turning back to watch the match. She needed to get the taste of that horrible alcohol out of her mouth. The juice she had before things went awry would be just fine.

When the glass came, Lucy forgot about it for a while since her curiosity was mostly on what was going on before her. She sipped it absently, barely noticing when it was emptied and ordered herself another. Kana and the guy had round after round, not stopping it seemed. She wondered where all that alcohol went, even after all she had seen Kana drink earlier with the Raijinshuu group.

She was totally shocked that Kana lost to someone at drinking! Never had such a thing been witnessed! Her face flamed when he grabbed Kana's top and started walking out with it. Such horrible behavior from someone to her guild! This guy beat two of the guild members in mere seconds even after all that alcohol! She wanted to go help, but noticed a flash of metal on one side of the room and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Bacchus?"

"Hah? Yo...if it isn't Erza..."

To find out that Erza knew him and that he was really strong was a shock. She couldn't help herself from getting up and going over. "You know him?" She watched their conversation, looking at the mark on Bacchus's back as he walked out. Good riddance! He didn't need to cause trouble for the guild before they even made any good headway in the tournament.

She wanted to believe Natsu when he said that Erza was stronger and that those battles were seven years old, but if Erza herself said that there had never been a winner to those past duels, Lucy was more inclined to believe the one who actually fought Bacchus.

Her head shook as she headed back to the stool, leaving Natsu and Gray to their ever-present, noisy scuffle. Her head was starting to hurt a little for some reason. Was it because of all the noise and excitement? Maybe it was just getting late and she was getting tired? She plopped onto the chair, feeling kind of odd walking around. She went to grab her half empty drink and paused before swallowing the amount she had attempted to have. The flavor was off. She didn't want to be gross and spit it back into the glass so she finished the swallow and looked to the bartender. "What is this?"

"What you asked me to make you prior."

She blinked, a hand going to her head. The headache wasn't helping her to think right now. "Prior. Yes. I was having juice prior to whatever I had to order to get Bacchus away from me." She looked to the glass and sniffed it. "What did you give me?" She met the bartender's raised brows. "What?"

"You wanted juice?"

She blinked. Blinked again. "What is this if it's not juice?"

"Alcohol... You said prior... I thought you meant as in seconds not as in previous..."

She groaned and put the glass down. "How many did I drink?"

The bartender's head tilted. "You had one with Bacchus and two more after that. You don't remember?"

That explained the headache and the weird feeling. She was probably drunk! And she didn't have that much to eat when they got to the Bar Sun either so now she was really in trouble. Would food even help at this point? She groaned a little and pushed the glass toward the bartender to get it away from her. Not exactly how she wanted to end the evening!

Lucy's headache was only getting worse the more that Natsu and Gray kept arguing nearby and others were being almost as loud. Not that everyone wasn't normally loud, but her hearing had picked up and magnified everything. She bet on the alcohol doing it. Even if she didn't hardly drink at all, partially because she had no real interest and mostly because she was still underage, she at least knew that what was happening to her was due to the drinks.

It was time to head out. Although she wanted to enjoy the company of her fellow guild, they were too much for her to handle with this issue going on with her. She stood and put a hand on the bar for balance as the sudden shift in gravity made her sway. This is why she didn't drink...

She shot Natsu and Gray a death look with a hand on her forehead as she walked around them when they almost they bumped into her on her way out. They stopped and gave her a wary, yet confused look. She had been called the second Erza on occasion since she was the only other one that could stop their squabbles. At this point, she didn't care if she used it just so she could get out of the pub in one piece.

"L – Lucy?"

"Where are you going?"

She stopped and turned to the pair. "Back to the inn. My head aches."

Natsu shoved Gray away with a surprised noise from him and turned to her. "Is it from your fight with Raven Tail? Are you still hurt?"

She waved him off and kept going. "No, it's not that." She didn't want to say it was because she was drinking the wrong drink and was too occupied to notice. She was too embarrassed to be unable to handle her alcohol in a room full of seasoned drinkers.

"Natsu, temee!" At that irritated cry, Lucy figured that Natsu would be back in his battle with Gray and thus rounded the doorway without any other explanation.


	2. Chapter 2

The night was much quieter and it helped her headache. It wasn't too warm, which was good because her face was kind of red and felt really hot. She stood outside to enjoy the lack of people and the different scenery. The sky was clear and the moon was perfectly visible. It gave her plenty of light to see by. The wind that blew carried the scent of flowers from around the area and she inhaled deeply to enjoy it. There were so many beautiful pots and carts full of flowers loitering everywhere and it made everything smell amazing.

She wandered back in the direction of the inn, stopping often to smell the nearby flower beds and admiring the beautiful stone walkways. The city was really amazing in both size and architecture. Even all the exploring she and Natsu did the first day wasn't enough to get a feel of the area.

Lucy paused when the sound of gurgling water met her ears. She hadn't seen a stream or anything resembling water in the city so far and thus hurried over to the direction of the noise. When she got close enough, she was met with a gorgeous sight of a stone fountain surrounded with flowers. Her eyes widened appreciatively as she circled the base. Flowers pots dotted the ground and the middle section as well. Angels poured water from their empty containers at the very top and in between them was another huge pot fully blooming.

Lucy sat on the edge around the pots and stared up with a smile. She was glad to have come and in this second considered herself lucky to be here. Her eyes closed as the sound of crashing water filled her with peace. She needed this break, this solitude, this sanctuary. Things had been so hectic in more ways than one and there had been nothing like this moment for what seemed a very long time. Even when they were at the beach, they weren't really there to have fun. It had been work and training and stress and intensity the entire time.

She ruined the moment when a few tears sprouted as the lid on her previous emotions bubbled up just a bit. She mentally berated herself for not trying to just enjoy this place for what it was worth. She harshly scrubbed her eyes, telling herself to stop. Tears weren't going to change her situation; it wasn't going to let her experience those lost days, the unknown power she could've had, or the better relationship she might have found with her dad! If it did...she might have already made an ocean by now with all that she had kept from falling.

She kept wiping her face as her tears didn't seem to be able to stop. Her clothes were rough over her eyes as if they were punishing her tear ducts for merely doing what they were supposed to do. The beauty of the fountain was forgotten and the melody of water was only used now to drown out her sobs. Her face burned, though her exposed shoulders were chilled from the night air. Stupid alcohol! She'd be fine if it wasn't for accidentally drinking three glasses...she just knew it! She normally didn't cry this much...

She pulled her sleeves away from her eyes, finally worried that someone may have seen her in her inebriated state...even if no one had shown up yet. Maybe she could just claim she had been stood up for a date, but she wasn't dressed for it and she didn't feel like lying to a stranger. Still, it would have been a more believable answer than saying that she was crying over having been trapped in time due to an attack from an evil dragon on her guild's holy island. Who would buy that?

She noticed movement a little ways away and twisted to the fountain. She quickly cupped a bunch of water and splashed it on her face to hide the tracks and cool off a bit. She couldn't do anything about how red her eyes were though. She didn't care that it dripped onto her clothes. She then pretended to pay close attention to the flower pots and hoped the person would walk away. However, said person was coming in her direction and Lucy somewhat panicked. She didn't want to have to explain herself right now and being drunk wasn't going to help her cause. What if it was a different guild contender?

When the person was close enough, the moonlight showed her Natsu. Lucy didn't calm down knowing that it was him though. She splashed more water on her face to hide the smell of tears as he kept walking her way. How long had he been there? Did he follow her? How much had he seen? What was the possibility that he also heard the fountain and wandered over to see it? '...Zero...' He wouldn't care about fountains unless he got to blow them up.

She sat on the cold stone, dripping water onto her clothes and shivering from the night air that was trying to dry her off. She stared up into Natsu's eyes silently as he stopped, hoping he couldn't see how red hers were. She didn't trust her voice at that second with as messed up as she was. She mentally blamed the drinks again as she tried to phrase the questions as to why he was here. She let the running water take its place and make noise for her.

To make things more awkward, Natsu hadn't moved from his spot mere feet in front of her once he stopped. He didn't say anything; he barely even blinked. He was almost statuesque save for the slight rise and fall of his chest when he breathed. His face was hard to read, although she could see some concern there. He met her eyes point blank and stared, eyes finally narrowing just a little. It was unnerving and Lucy finally looked away to the flower pot below. She still felt his eyes and fidgeted with a wet spot on her shorts. Wasn't he going to say anything? She harshly swallowed and took a deep breath, knowing he heard. "Natsu..."

When his name was mentioned, Natsu kneeled before her, still looking at her in silence. He took in the dripping face, the goosebumps on her arms, the hunched shoulders, the wet clothes, and the red eyes. Nothing escaped him except for the answer as to why she was crying alone like this right now. She had seemed fine up until the point that she left the pub. If her head hurt, what was she doing in a place like this just outside the inn? He knew that she had been having trouble since they got to the tournament and it cut him to see her get injured and targeted by Raven Tail as much as she had, but she didn't seem to have any issues after he helped her off the field after her loss. What was going on? Why didn't she just go inside?

Of course he followed her because he had wanted to know that she was okay, but he also wanted to keep an eye on her. Going back by herself was the best way to get kidnapped if Raven Tail wanted to do anything else. It wasn't difficult to find her, even with the smell of flowers invading his nose wherever he went. For some reason, Lucy oddly smelled of alcohol, even after hanging around the pub, and that made it all too easy to find her. He easily spotted her at the fountain, figured she was just looking around, and was about to chastise her for it when the wind brought the smell of tears his way. His anger dissipated and concern replaced it.

He guessed that she was still really frustrated with her loss from the battle against Raven Tail. He had thought his earlier words had helped and therefore he stood and listened to her cry for a while because he didn't know what else he could say to help her get past the sadness she was experiencing. If she didn't see how much she still had support from everyone after losing, he was at a loss as how to show her that things would be okay. He had at last approached her when he couldn't stand to listen to her sobs anymore. But...now that he was here...what did he do?

As usual, his merely being next to her changed her mood. Natsu was here. He was kneeling in front of her quietly for this long. He hadn't said a word yet, though he must have known she was crying with as serious as he was. He was always her rock and protector. He knew just what to say or do to cheer her up and help her. Why was she always being saved by him? She wasn't this weak magically and yet it seemed like she was a mere child in his presence every time they were together!

The more time dragged out between them, the more muddled she got between her thoughts and emotions. Stupid alcohol! "Natsu..." She owed him so much and here she was acting like a spoiled child and thinking only of herself. Her lip quivered and she finally launched herself at him. She needed to leech some of his strength and steal it for her own to get past this. She was all turned around right now and needed any help she could get.

He almost fell backward when her weight slammed against him. Natsu steadied himself, instinctively wrapping his arms around her. He still didn't know what to say and searched his head when she started crying all over again. A hand lightly patted her back. He was used to Lucy crying on him, but it was never easy to deal with. It was nice to know that she came to him at least. That showed to him a level of trust that she didn't give to just any guild member. He really wanted her to be happy though because she had such a difficult life from what he knew of her past. Thus, he didn't say anything and just let her have her cry.

She was never drinking again! Why did she have to cry so much in front of him? She needed to stop being like this. Natsu had to be the best guy on the planet to do so much for her! She knew how some guys hated crying girls and yet he readily accepted her and let her do this to him time and time again. She scrubbed her face again with her sleeves, trying not to wipe her nose on him.

Through the chill of the night with the lack of warm clothes she wore, and how wet they still were, he was so warm. Her mindset changed from sadness to needing to keep warm and she tightened her arms around his neck, pressing herself against him. Heat...glorious warmth. He smelled nice too...even if there was sweat mixed in with the natural scent of his hair. Lucy enjoyed it for a second as she forgot where she was. She was tired from all the stress and emotional upheaval and wanted it to go away.

He was happy that she had seemed to calm down, but the second she tried to climb into his skin freaked out Natsu for just a second. What was she doing?! There was no way any air was going to get in between them with how close her torso was to his! She was squirming around like Happy when he tried to get comfortable on a blanket on cold nights! His arms that had been wrapped around her hung in the air in uncertainty as to what to do now. "W – what are you doing?" He finally got out. The smell of the fountain water on her face and the softness of her hair on his cheeks, not to mention her body pressing up against his, was weirding him out. His face flamed as he was all too attuned to every inch of them that touched.

Being able to be attached like this felt good and Lucy's bad mood melted away as she focused on Natsu's fire magic radiating from his body. She smiled. "You're nice and warm Natsu... It's cold out here."

So she was just using him as a blanket? He made one attempt to pry her off him, but she whined and refused to let go. Her head was under his chin in an uncomfortable way and her hair was tickling his nose. An eye twitched. He realized that he was quite red from this unexpected behavior from his partner. He picked up alcohol again and was confused. Lucy never drank. "Are you drunk?"

Her good mood was brought down a few pegs. She almost pouted. "It's not my fault! I ordered just one to get Bacchus away from me and then that stupid bartender kept serving me more of them after he left!"

"Huh? Why did you drink them if you knew what they were?"

She pulled away enough to look at him, not wanting to be yelled at right now. She was happy to keep warm in his arms and he was ruining her fun. "I didn't know they were alcoholic! I thought it was juice! I was watching the drinking match between Kana and Bacchus! It's not my fault!"

He wisely kept quiet when her indignation brought forth teary eyes She wasn't sad anymore, but the put out look on her red face told him that if he kept after her about it he would regret it. From the other time he had seen her drunk and her weird behavior, Natsu knew that he needed to get Lucy back to the Honeybone quick!

He lightly patted her shoulders and again tried to pry her off him. "Okay, okay, it's not your fault. I believe you. You're all wet still. Let's get you back to the room and get you changed okay? That will warm you up."

She was cold when he gently pushed her away from him and gave a quick shiver at the loss of contact. She would have preferred to be snuggled against him because his merely being next to her helped cheer her up. The idea of who he was and his personality and optimism made her happy in this moment. She settled for wrapping his arm over her shoulders and latching onto his waist. "My shoulders are still cold. How far is the inn again?"

He kept walking and forced himself to endure this. This was really uncomfortable on so many levels! Since she was too short to see his face, he let annoyance roam freely through his eyes. It was really difficult to walk properly with Lucy practically leaning on him. He was going to have to keep a better eye on her when they were at Bar Sun next time! "It's just around the corner. Keep walking. We're almost there." He stumbled at a change in her footing and almost went down. "Hey! If you can't walk like this then let go of me!"

"Nooo!" She clutched onto his waist and squeezed hard as if he were going to push her away from him again. "I'm fine. I can walk like this."

He squirmed a little as she attempted to crush his ribs. He breathed a mental sigh of relief when the Honeybone sign came into view. He tried to hurry them just a little. "There's the inn Lucy. Let's hurry and get you inside and get you to bed okay? You'll feel better if you get some sleep."

Natsu was hoping that anyone else in their room would be able to take care of Lucy for him when they got there. He didn't know how long it had been since he followed her out, but everyone else on the team was still hanging around and it didn't look like anyone else in the guild wanted to leave the pub just yet.

He didn't even care if he dumped her on Gray and left for some space. He mentally hoped at least Erza would be available, but then quickly changed his mind on that. If he brought in Lucy still attached to him like this and drunk, Erza would probably pound him into the ground without asking questions first! Yep, it had to be Gray. He would toss drunken Lucy at Gray and let him take care of her while he escaped to blow off all this discomfort she was making him go through right now!


	3. Chapter 3

He headed up the stairs, purposely not making eye contact with the few people on the main level, and made a beeline right for their room. Stairs were really difficult to do with Lucy still clinging to him as she had been since the fountain. He kept mentally chanting the whole way up and hoping she didn't kill them on the way up. 'Please be Gray. Not Erza. Please be Gray...' It was the first time he actually WANTED to see the ice mage and Natsu would only admit he would be relieved to see him if his male guild member was in the room and not Erza. He could easily take on Gray over what he had planned, but not Erza!

He managed to get the door open and them through the doorway. Silence met his entrance and he was both disappointed and glad at the same time. No one had returned which meant no Erza, but no Gray! This meant he was stuck taking care of drunken Lucy all by himself! He sighed and closed the door, wracking his brain as to how he was going to take care of this before any more incidents cropped up or she got out of hand.

He stopped them in the center of the room and looked to the top of Lucy's head. "Okay Lucy, we're here. You can let go of me now." For a second it seemed like she had no intentions of doing so. Natsu tested the waters by taking his arm away from her shoulders. After another second, her arms slowly withdrew from his waist. He breathed a quiet sigh of relief and went to her bed. He grabbed her pack and handed it to her. "Here's your stuff. Go change."

Lucy mechanically took her bag from Natsu and stared at it. Change into what? Why change? She had clothes on. Lucy looked down to her attire. There were still a few water spots that hadn't dried from her time hugging Natsu. "My clothes are still wet Natsu..."

A brow rose. He eyed her warily, not really liking the sound of her voice. "Yea...they are..." He stood and moved around her bed, trying to keep some distance.

Lucy gave him a sugary smile and took a few steps toward him, bag forgotten in her hand. "Can I dry my clothes on you? You did such a good job earlier. See? Most of my shirt is already dry."

Before he could stop himself, Natsu's eyes were directed to where Lucy pointed...right to her chest. His face flamed and he took a step back, sputtering. "What?! N – no! What's wrong with you, stupid?! I'm not a clothes line! Go change and get in bed and go to sleep!"

Lucy stopped in front of him and pouted. "Why not? You're always so warm Natsu. It feels good. It won't take long, I promise." She beamed and stretched her arms out to hug him again. "C'mon...Hug me Natsu! I want a hug!"

Alarms were going off in his head as he tried to safely back away while meeting her eyes. Retreat! He needed a strategic retreat! His head was trying to find the right words to redirect his partner away from him till she got over this drunken stupor. Not again! He didn't want to be subjected to whatever weird thing came into her inebriated brain! Having to pet her last time was humiliating enough!

He reached out and grabbed her upper arms as they got close enough for him to do so. He easily kept her arms from going around his neck again and whipped around to keep his back from going against the wall. "Lucy! Stop! Lucy! Go change!" He backed up in the direction of the bathroom.

"I can't change Natsu. I don't have my stuff." She pushed forward again and again was held at bay with his strength. "Why don't you want me to hug you? I need help drying my clothes off and you help best with that!"

"You're not hugging me just so you can dry your clothes!" He grumbled, trying to look for her bag and back up at the same time. "Where is your pack at? Where did you dro – whoa!" In a split second, Natsu mentally noted that they had found her bag just as he tried to brace himself and take the brunt of the fall to the ground. He clutched Lucy to him to keep her from knocking her head on the nearby furniture. His ears rang from her scream and stars sprang up as his skull got a good whack from the wood floor. He laid there grimacing for a moment and trying to get used to the new bump he was sure to have tomorrow. Neither of them moved and Natsu hoped Lucy was okay. He tried to collect himself enough to speak. "L – Lucy... are you okay?"

His partner was silent. Natsu didn't have the ability yet to be able to look at her with his head killing him. He worried she was injured, but kind of hoped she had passed out and he could just put her in bed as she was and lay in his own until he felt better. Neither of them said a word in what seemed forever. He almost thought Lucy HAD perhaps passed out when a slender pair of arms snaked their way around his neck. The hair on the back of his head stood up and every part of him went still as stone.

Lucy pulled her way up his torso enough to be able to look him in the eyes. The fall had jostled her and she thought she was seriously going to hurt herself. The second she felt Natsu's arms around her, Lucy relaxed enough to go with the fall. She felt bad that they fell, but she was comforted by Natsu's chivalry. She went to tell him how great he was, but she couldn't see him.

The words died on her tongue. "Natsu?" Her brow furrowed as she looked at the pain on his face. A hand moved and stroked his hair and he cringed at her touch. Lucy's hand pulled away as if she had been burned. "Natsu? Are you okay?" She tried to piece together the last few seconds an her eyes widened. "You're hurt. You got hurt because of me again..." Her eyes teared. Would she ever stop causing him trouble? "I'm sorry... This is my fault."

Oh no...not more tears! He didn't think he could handle them just yet. His head was still killing him and the fact that she had just crept up his body with her own made his heart beat wildly which wasn't making his head any better. Also, his face was burning up. "It's fine Lucy... Don't worry about this. This isn't -"

Lucy hugged him suddenly, nuzzling his neck with her face. "You're so nice Natsu! You always get hurt because of me and yet you don't hate me for it! You always help me whenever I'm sad and you always know how to say the right things to make me feel better. You really are the best guy in the world!"

"U – uh huh..." His mind was quite muddled from pain and the feel of Lucy's eyelashes tickling his neck. She still hadn't bothered getting off him and it was driving him crazy. He hadn't expected her praise and it made him happy to know she thought so highly of him, but now really wasn't the time for them to just lay around like this! If any of the team came into the room, he was screwed! Where were they anyway?! He would almost take Erza walking in on them if it got Lucy away from him! "L – Lucy...thanks...I guess... C – can you maybe...get off me now?"

Lucy stopped her administrations. She didn't move from the dark spot she found in the hollow of his neck. He wanted her to get up? But she was trying to say something important here! She was trying to tell him something serious and convey her gratitude. She pulled away a little hurt and looked at his face. She noted how red he was up to his ears and stopped. Natsu was blushing? But he rarely blushed unless he was really embarrassed or caught her naked...

She suddenly tuned in to the feel of his body under hers, the wild gallop of his heart against her chest, and the slight tremble in his arms. He was warm, he was breathing heavily, he was seriously flushed... She had read, and written, way too many romance novels in her day to not know what this all meant. Her face flushed, if that was even possible in her drunken state, as they locked eyes. She froze, unable to look away at the depths of his eyes, suddenly realizing that this close up he was rather handsome.

Oh please move...please get off...! He didn't have the ability to form the words and could barely think them. The combination of Lucy and the skin he was touching, her flushed face and tousled hair had done a number on him. Her eyes were heavy with some emotion he couldn't place and he was unable to look away from her. He had to admit that this close she was quite beautiful; drunk and all.

Somewhere in her mind, she remembered that Natsu wanted her to get off him. She pondered why she should do so when it was actually quite nice to lay on him...being all warm and muscular and all... After a lot of warring with herself, she finally moved. It was hard to get her body to take directions with the alcohol still hitting her and it felt like slow motion. Her legs moved first to support her, dragging their way around Natsu's to find the floor and safely plant on either side of him. The lower section properly set up, she unhinged from his neck. Her hands swiped across his ever-present bare chest to rest over his pectorals. Her fingers twitched when she felt his chest muscles spasm a little.

It took every ounce of mental fortitude to not shove her off him and get out of the room to cool off. The silence and tension between them was stifling! But he could barely tell with the blood thundering in his ears and the sound of his own heartbeat racing. If he thought he had been agitated when she was just laying there, the moves she made to sit up almost killed him. To make matters worse, Lucy was just sitting on him with her hands touching his chest...just staring at him. His arms were dead at his sides.

Her heart was racing. She had no idea just what she was doing, but all logical thought had flown out the window the second she noticed Natsu's reaction to her. His eyes were infectious and she couldn't stop looking at him. He really was easy on the eyes all over... His hair was really soft, though his skin was tough from so much rough treatment and injuries and being outside. How did he manage such a dichotomy? 'I wonder what else is...'

Still silent, she suddenly scooched up his chest, resettling on his ribcage. She wanted to check that thought. She suddenly found herself unable to look into his eyes, but there was no way she could get him to stop staring. He was boring holes into her with wide, shocked eyes. She grabbed a black shirt that she suddenly spotted peeking from her bag and tossed it over his eyes.

He was unprepared to be here like this. His head was spinning, but not from the blow. That had all but been forgotten. Now in the darkness, he had startled to reality and took note of one glaring fact. Lucy was sitting on his chest and he could smell...her. The heat of her thighs touched his shoulders. What in the hell was going on here?! His arms raised to get her off him, retort ready spoken, when a touch stopped him. He paused, arm hovering in the air. It was soft skin with the barest tip of a fingernail. He smelled nail polish near his nose. She was touching his lips... Why?

Just as she thought. His lips were really soft. Her finger pulled on his lower lip a bit, watching it scrunch up under her index finger. It was captivating actually. She startled when she felt a touch on her hip. Her skin picked up the trembling, warm contact of his rough hands. She took note that his lips were also shaking. In fact, there wasn't a spot which she felt that was still.

Never had he fought so hard in his entire life to take control of a situation gone awry. The only thing he could muster for movement was the hand that made an attempt to push her off him, but all he could do was apply light pressure against her skin. His nails almost dug into her side as his will faltered. She was destroying his nerves, lighting him on fire with her touch, her smell was driving him crazy, and he could only think horrible things right now. The feeling of being at her mercy was a most attractive concept, even if he was always the stronger of them. He suddenly considered that this wasn't a bad thing.

There was nothing outside the room; there was nothing in the room aside from them. The tables and chairs, the beds and the bathroom all faded away. The only thing she could see was a few inches of floor and Natsu and the cloth. She attuned to his choppy breathing and the heat that flowed over her hand. She felt the rise of his chest as it also raised her body up and down with ease. She pressed his lip again, toying with it ever so slightly.

Time suddenly returned to them again when he gained the will and strength to move. He finally pushed her off him, hearing a surprised cry and a bump of her hitting the floor. He sat up and kept his back to her, unable to look her in the face. He tossed her shirt in her general direction, not wanting to smell it anymore. Who was he kidding...he could smell that part of Lucy even though she wasn't inches away from his nose anymore! Just knowing that wasn't helping his head in the slightest.

He stared at the bed post in front of him, breathing heavily and trying to get his thoughts back in working order. He tried to get his face to calm down and his heart to slow. He idly listened to her do the same and he was somewhat relieved it wasn't just him who had been thrown upside down here.

They were...at the tournament...the Grand Magic Games...here to get Fairy Tail back on the map...to help their friends win after years of losses... A hand touched the back of his head, feeling the huge bump that had formed and he used the pain to distract him, even if he grimaced a little against it. Feeling a little more back to normal, he chanced standing and turned to Lucy. She stared up at him, still flushed, with an unreadable expression on her hooded eyes.

At length, he extended a hand that she slowly took and he easily helped her to her feet. He bent down and grabbed her pack and silently handed it to her. She took it and broke eye contact to dig out some pajamas. He didn't wait for her to tell him to get out or to even turn around. He gave her a brisk pat on the shoulder and headed to the door.

He closed it wordlessly and leaned against it. He stared at the ceiling as his ears tracked the sounds of clothes shuffling before a light clicked off and more shuffling as he bet she was finally going to bed. At long last, he let out a pent up sigh and scrubbed a hand across his red face. "Kuso..."


	4. Chapter 4

The sun her eyes and Lucy squinted. The second they peeked open, they squeezed shut. Her head hurt! A hand went to her forehead to rub it, but that didn't help. She heard rustling and quiet voices around the room and lowered the comforter from around her face. She tried to sit up and was made aware of her mistake when that made things worse. She fell backward with a pained cry, getting notice of the others.

Erza walked to her bed and stood at the edge. "Lucy? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Head...hurts..." She mumbled, trying to sit up again.

Erza's head tilted. "Did you hit your head on something?" A hand went under her bangs, nice and cool to the touch. "You're a little red in the face, but you don't have a fever. Are you sick?"

"No... Can I get some water?"

Erza looked across the way. "Gray."

Gray nodded and got up. Seconds later, he handed the glass over and looked at his teammate's face. "Maybe Poluchka can help her? Otherwise we'll have to find someone else for the afternoon."

She didn't want to be put out for an entire round of games simply because she had a headache. She downed the water and held the glass out for another. "I think I just need some water. That tastes really good. Can I have more please?"

Erza grabbed the glass, a thoughtful look on her face. "You're dehydrated. Do you know what could have brought this on?" Erza handed the glass back and she practically chugged it again. Erza's brow furrowed. "I'll go find Poluchka-san. I'll be back."

The door clicked and the room quieted. She laid on the bed again, trying to remember last night through the pain and how she got here. There was no way she should be this dehydrated! She didn't go without drink last night...she had some at the Bar Sun. Her hand covered her eyes, massaging her temples as she thought. 'Last night...I was at the Bar Sun with everyone...I was feeling kind of bad most of the day about my loss... Natsu was beating up people to cheer himself up. There was some creepy guy at the pub that turned out to be a rival guild member. I had something to drink while I was at the pub... Natsu and Gray fought when I left. Why did I leave?'

"Does it have to do with why you were drinking last night?"

Lucy looked over to Gray in question. Drinking? But she didn't drink! "...Wait...What?"

" _Alcohol..._ _You_ _said_ _prior... I thought_ _you_ _meant_ _as_ _in_ _seconds_ _not_ _as_ _in_ _previous..."_

She groaned as more of the evening came back. She accidentally got drunk! Great! Now she had a hangover? She tried to remember how she got back. Oh yes, that's right...Natsu found her at this beautiful fountain and helped her back to the inn. She was so thankful that he helped her back...she had to hang on to him to walk and...

Lucy remembered the sound of a huge thud and warmth and lust and bolted upright. She hissed against the pain in her head, clutching at it. She ignored Gray's warnings for her to not get up and to lay back down. She dared search out Natsu and found him across the room in a chair, silently watching her. His face was expressionless. Her face flamed all the way to her neck as she met his eyes. She...didn't...did she?!

She looked at him in panicked worry, searching his face for acknowledgment. His perturbed look and blush when he looked away only confirmed it for her. She DID...she had done something inappropriate either to him or with him! Natsu rarely blushed unless he was really embarrassed or caught her naked... Wait...why was she getting dejá vu from that thought?

She flopped onto the bed, feeling utterly mortified and paranoid that she was going to remember all the details. She escaped their eyes by covering her face with the comforter. "Ugh! I'm never drinking again! Next time I start, someone stop me and tell me to stop being stupid!"

She didn't remember everything, but she wasn't about to ask questions with Gray in the room. Actually, she didn't even want to know what happened! She had a feeling if she did she would just want to crawl under a rock. She also bet that her memories would return in time and she wouldn't be able to look Natsu in the eye for a very long time.


End file.
